Move Over El Paso, There’s a New Salsa in Town
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
This is the latest installment of SuzySaid's "Moms at Work" series that profiles local entrepreneurs who are balancing career and motherhood and contributing to our community.
By Eileen Weber
If you think you’ve tasted every jar of salsa, think again. GourGanics Salsa and Simmer Sauce is a balance of spicy and sweet and made right here in Fairfield. Sarah Galluzzo, writer, mom, and, most recently, salsa entrepreneur, kick-started her business in 2008 and it has been going gangbusters since.
Galluzzo attributes her salsa’s success not only to its great taste, but the fact that the ingredients are all organic and as local as possible. She said the local and organic food movement has a stronghold here in Fairfield.
“It’s where things are going. It’s what people want,” she said. “A huge part of the community knows that eating local and organic means better health and food for your family. That’s important to me.”
Galluzzo markets her salsa locally as well. In Fairfield alone, you can find her salsa at A&S Fine Italian Foods, Billy’s Bakery, The Pantry, Cinch Gourmet Meal Market, and the Fairfield Cheese Company. She is hoping to branch out to other stores soon. Laura Downey, co-owner of the Fairfield Cheese Company, said they’ve been carrying GourGanics for about a year.
“It fits nicely with our other high quality small batch artisan products,” said Downey. “We really appreciate that it is locally made by someone who really cares about the taste and quality of her ingredients.”
We caught up with Galluzzo recently to ask her how business is these days.
You started your career in copywriting, but somehow you ended up in salsa. How did that happen?
I was interested in doing something with my cooking and I am very interested in the local organic movement. I was trying to decide on a new business and a lot of people were encouraging me. This was a way to combine the things I really liked doing. I didn’t see a lot of commercial salsas I liked and I felt there was a need for that. So I did a small run to see what people thought. Most people who taste it end up buying it.
You market GourGanics as a salsa and a simmer sauce. How do your customers use it in their cooking?
People are learning how to cook at home more. People are interested in eating well, so it’s had a nice following. Most people think of it as a condiment, but I’ve gotten some really exciting recipes from fans of the product. One person chilled it and used it as a cocktail sauce for shrimp. Another one used it for a pulled pork recipe. And someone else I know used it as a base for vegan chili. I’m always trying to think of new ways to cook with it, too. I put it on eggs for my kids. I always have something with salsa on it.
Your focus is local and organic. How do you source locally during the winter months when produce is less abundant?
We’ve had some hiccups and bumps along the way. There was that tomato blight one year. That was a little glitch we had to get over. I have a few farmers that I work with locally like White Gate Farm [in East Lyme] and Urban Oaks in New Britain. I get my peppers from New Jersey. I have had to make a small run in mid-winter when I’ve sold out. Then, I’ll get hothouse products from Vermont or California. But I don’t really like to do that. The big plan is to try to make it through the winter season with enough stock so that I don’t have to do a small batch until I have to jar again.
Are you planning on expanding your line or experimenting with new flavors?
The fun of it is playing with it. My family and friends have been a huge support. But if you’re hearing the same thing again and again about your product, you know what’s working and what’s not. I’m thinking of a fruited salsas, maybe a jalapeno cranberry relish. I’ll be doing some test batches and some other simmer sauces in the future.
If you’re looking for something to spice up dinner tonight, check out the GourGanics web site. Or better yet, pop into one of the local shops that carry it. You may become an instant fan.
www.gourganics.com
By Eileen Weber
If you think you’ve tasted every jar of salsa, think again. GourGanics Salsa and Simmer Sauce is a balance of spicy and sweet and made right here in Fairfield. Sarah Galluzzo, writer, mom, and, most recently, salsa entrepreneur, kick-started her business in 2008 and it has been going gangbusters since.
Galluzzo attributes her salsa’s success not only to its great taste, but the fact that the ingredients are all organic and as local as possible. She said the local and organic food movement has a stronghold here in Fairfield.
“It’s where things are going. It’s what people want,” she said. “A huge part of the community knows that eating local and organic means better health and food for your family. That’s important to me.”
Galluzzo markets her salsa locally as well. In Fairfield alone, you can find her salsa at A&S Fine Italian Foods, Billy’s Bakery, The Pantry, Cinch Gourmet Meal Market, and the Fairfield Cheese Company. She is hoping to branch out to other stores soon. Laura Downey, co-owner of the Fairfield Cheese Company, said they’ve been carrying GourGanics for about a year.
“It fits nicely with our other high quality small batch artisan products,” said Downey. “We really appreciate that it is locally made by someone who really cares about the taste and quality of her ingredients.”
We caught up with Galluzzo recently to ask her how business is these days.
You started your career in copywriting, but somehow you ended up in salsa. How did that happen?
I was interested in doing something with my cooking and I am very interested in the local organic movement. I was trying to decide on a new business and a lot of people were encouraging me. This was a way to combine the things I really liked doing. I didn’t see a lot of commercial salsas I liked and I felt there was a need for that. So I did a small run to see what people thought. Most people who taste it end up buying it.
You market GourGanics as a salsa and a simmer sauce. How do your customers use it in their cooking?
People are learning how to cook at home more. People are interested in eating well, so it’s had a nice following. Most people think of it as a condiment, but I’ve gotten some really exciting recipes from fans of the product. One person chilled it and used it as a cocktail sauce for shrimp. Another one used it for a pulled pork recipe. And someone else I know used it as a base for vegan chili. I’m always trying to think of new ways to cook with it, too. I put it on eggs for my kids. I always have something with salsa on it.
Your focus is local and organic. How do you source locally during the winter months when produce is less abundant?
We’ve had some hiccups and bumps along the way. There was that tomato blight one year. That was a little glitch we had to get over. I have a few farmers that I work with locally like White Gate Farm [in East Lyme] and Urban Oaks in New Britain. I get my peppers from New Jersey. I have had to make a small run in mid-winter when I’ve sold out. Then, I’ll get hothouse products from Vermont or California. But I don’t really like to do that. The big plan is to try to make it through the winter season with enough stock so that I don’t have to do a small batch until I have to jar again.
Are you planning on expanding your line or experimenting with new flavors?
The fun of it is playing with it. My family and friends have been a huge support. But if you’re hearing the same thing again and again about your product, you know what’s working and what’s not. I’m thinking of a fruited salsas, maybe a jalapeno cranberry relish. I’ll be doing some test batches and some other simmer sauces in the future.
If you’re looking for something to spice up dinner tonight, check out the GourGanics web site. Or better yet, pop into one of the local shops that carry it. You may become an instant fan.
www.gourganics.com
